Which brand of brake pads is best?
Discussion
The cheapest will certainly "do" in that it will stop your car when you press the brake pedal. You might find them more fade-prone, faster wearing, less precise feeling, etc. I'd certainly put the same brand on the front and back to maintain the manufacturer's intended brake balance.
When I did our Skoda recently I think I fitted Brembo pads because they were the cheapest of the brands I'd heard of, but I suspect the unknown brands are fine really. Pagid and Brembo are both very well known brands which are probably pretty similar in terms of quality although the individual compounds will vary a bit.
When I did our Skoda recently I think I fitted Brembo pads because they were the cheapest of the brands I'd heard of, but I suspect the unknown brands are fine really. Pagid and Brembo are both very well known brands which are probably pretty similar in terms of quality although the individual compounds will vary a bit.
Edited by kambites on Monday 3rd September 08:04
marksx said:
Cheap ones will make a hell of mess on your wheels too.
Do you mean with brake dust?On the pads I have at the moment, which are the same I have had on since buying the car last year, there is lots of it all over my alloys and it is near-impossible to get off. Whenever I do get round to washing it off, it comes back within a couple of weeks.
IDontKnowCars said:
Do you mean with brake dust?
On the pads I have at the moment, which are the same I have had on since buying the car last year, there is lots of it all over my alloys and it is near-impossible to get off. Whenever I do get round to washing it off, it comes back within a couple of weeks.
On the pads I have at the moment, which are the same I have had on since buying the car last year, there is lots of it all over my alloys and it is near-impossible to get off. Whenever I do get round to washing it off, it comes back within a couple of weeks.
Tim2k9 said:
I found expensive ones did that a lot more.
Yes, with dust. It's a while since I paid for expensive pads, but the last ones I put on my Mondeo, were horrendous for dust. They were <£100 for pads and discs though!
so many variables here as somebody with vehicle A might have bought Brembo and found them great whilst somebody else with vehicle B found them terrible.
brembo sounds like a great trusted name (and they are for calipers) but in terms of pads I dont think its one and the same - it might be a trade name of euro car parts now just on pads.
I have had Pagid discs and pads before as a new set and they were dangerous - nothing on the pedal but the faintest bit of slowing down. no firmness or bite - no confidence they would be there when you needed them but again the next joey might have had the same set up on his car and thought they were brilliant.
I dont think you can go far wrong with original pads or Bosch or Ferodo.
some aftermarket or "performance" pads will squeal like piggies no matter how well you follow the bedding in instructions.
many report that their brake felt worse after renewing pads and this is often because they bought the cheapest.
brembo sounds like a great trusted name (and they are for calipers) but in terms of pads I dont think its one and the same - it might be a trade name of euro car parts now just on pads.
I have had Pagid discs and pads before as a new set and they were dangerous - nothing on the pedal but the faintest bit of slowing down. no firmness or bite - no confidence they would be there when you needed them but again the next joey might have had the same set up on his car and thought they were brilliant.
I dont think you can go far wrong with original pads or Bosch or Ferodo.
some aftermarket or "performance" pads will squeal like piggies no matter how well you follow the bedding in instructions.
many report that their brake felt worse after renewing pads and this is often because they bought the cheapest.
IDontKnowCars said:
Whenever I do get round to washing it off, it comes back within a couple of weeks.
Have you tried using any protection on the wheels to stop the hot brake dust from sticking? Even plain old furniture polish can make quite a big difference.As far as changing the pads goes, there's more to a brake service than simply swapping components so make sure you know what is involved. You should be prepared to bed the new pads in according to the manufacturers instructions after fitting.
GreenV8S said:
IDontKnowCars said:
Whenever I do get round to washing it off, it comes back within a couple of weeks.
Have you tried using any protection on the wheels to stop the hot brake dust from sticking? Even plain old furniture polish can make quite a big difference.As far as changing the pads goes, there's more to a brake service than simply swapping components so make sure you know what is involved. You should be prepared to bed the new pads in according to the manufacturers instructions after fitting.
ToothbrushMan said:
so many variables here as somebody with vehicle A might have bought Brembo and found them great whilst somebody else with vehicle B found them terrible.
This is true, even for the same model of pad let alone the same manufacturer. I've had EBC greenstuff pads on cars and they've generally been good but I briefly had a set on the Elise and they were genuinely dangerous - "couldn't generate enough friction to lock the wheels" dangerous. Gassing Station | Home Mechanics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff